The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-05-07
The Late Dr.. ]. G. Hollands Opinion.
A PHYSICIAN CLIMBING THE EDITOR
IAL STAIRS.

ed by the late Dr. Holland in Scrib-
ner's Ndgdsine. He says: "Neverthe-
less, it is Il fact that many Of the
best proprietary medicines of the
day were more successful than many
physicians, and most Of them, it
should be remembered, were at first
discovered or used in actual medical
practice. When, however, any
shrewd person, knowing their virtue,
and forcsceing their popularity,
secures and advertises them, then,
in the opinion Of the bigoted, all
virtue went out of them"
Is not this absurd? This great
man appreciated the real merits of
popular remedies, and the absurdity
of those that derided them because
public attention was called to the
article and the evidence of their
cures. II the most noted physician
should announce that he had made
a study of any certain organ or dis
ease Of the body, or make his sign
larger than the code size, though he
may have practised medicine and
been a leader in all medical coun-
sells, Notwithstanding all this, if he
should presume to advertise and de-
cline to give his discovery to the
public, he would he pronounced
quack and a humbug, although he
may have spent his entire life and
all his available funds in perfecting
his investigations. Again we say,
"absurd."
fan ulcer is found upon ones
arm, and is cured by some dear soul
of grandmother, outside of the
code. it will be pronounced by the
medical profession an ulcer of little
importance. But if treated under
the code, causing sleepless nights for
a month, with the scientific treat
ment, viz, plasters, washes, dosing
with morphine, arsenic and other
vile substances, given to prevent
blood poisoning or deaden pain, and
yet the ulcer becomes malignant,
and amputation is made necessary,
at last, to save life, yet all done ac-
cording to the "isms' of the medical
code, this is much more gratifying
to the medical profession, and adds
more dignity to that distinguished
order than to be cured by the dear
old grandmothcr's remedy.
This appears like a severe arraign-
ncnt, yet We believe that it express
es the true standing of the medical
profession in regard to remedies dis
covered outside of thei1 special
'isms.' One ofthe most perplexing
things of the day is the popularity
ofcertain remedies, especia lily War
ner's safe cure, which we find for
sale everywhere. The physician of
the highest standing is ready to CON
cede its merits and sustain the the
ories the proprietors have made
that is, that it benefits in most of
the ailments Of the human system
because it assists in putting the kid
neys in proper condition, thereby
aiding in throwing off the impurities
of the blood, while others with less
honesty and experience deride, and
are willing to see their patient die
scientifically, and according to the
code, rather than have him cured
by this great remedy. Yet we notice
that the popularity Of the medicine
continues to grow year by year. The
discoverer comes boldly before the
people with its merits, and proclaimg
them from door to door in our
opinion much more honorable than
the physicians who, perchance, NAV
secure a patient from some catas-
trophe. and is permitted to set a
bone of an arm or Il finger. which he
does with great dignity, yet very
soon after takes the lihrrtv IA nl;p,L